Ruling device for slates



(No Model.)

J. SHAVER.

RULING DEVICE FOR SLATES.

3 ,525. Patented Oct. 20,- 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH SHAVER, OF MILlVAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

.RULING DEVICE FOR SLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,525, dated October20, 1885.

Application filed March 7, 1885. Serial No. 158,043.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH SHAVER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RulingDevices for Slates; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersor figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention, to be hereinafter claimed, relates to a ruling device forslates, whereby straight, true, and parallel lines may be readily drawnacross a slate, either from top to bottom or from side to side thereof,the device being so simple and easily managed that any child can use it.I am aware that devices have been constructed for the same purposeheretofore; but all of them have been either so elaborate inconstruction or so unreliable for the purposes for which they wereintended as not to have come into general use.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a slate having my device. Fig.2 shows the bottom of the rule composing a part of my device.

The same letters refer to like parts in both the views.

The slate at is provided with the usual frame, b, about its respectiveedges, which frame is provided on at least one side and one end with astraight and true channel or groove, 0, in the face of the frame, whichgrooves are respectively parallel with the central longitudinal andlateral axes of the slate and at right angles to each other. On the faceof the frame, on the other side and end, I provide scales of linearmeasurements, d, marked with inches and fractions thereof, or withmetrical divisions, or with both, as may be desired.

The straight-edge rule 6 is provided at one (No model.)

end on one side with a lateral downwardlyextending flange, f, at rightangles to the straight edge of the rule, which flange is adapted to fitnicely into the groove 0 and hold the rule at right angles thereto.

It will be seen that when the flange f is placed in the groove 0 withthe rule extending across the slate, true straight lines may be drawnacross the slate along the edge of the rule, and, by the aid of thescale d, a line may be made across the slate parallel to and at anydesired distance from any other line on the slate. I also provide ascale, 9, on the face of the rule e, whereby a line of any lengthnotextending across the slate may be determined or established.

With this device any person, even the youngest of school-children, mayreadily draw on the slate true, straight, and parallel lines, and linesat accurate right angles to others already drawn, and lines of anydesired length,where by first lessons in drawing are greatlyfacilitated, which heretofore have been much embarrassed and retardedfor want of some simple but accurate device of this kind.

I am aware of United States Patent No. 165,888, issued to W. B.Stevenson on July 20, 1875, and I do not claim the devices thereinshown.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the slate-frame 1), pro vided with a scale, d, thestraight grooves c c in frame I), the straight-edge rule 6, providedwith scale 9, and the flange f, rigid to rule (2 and at right angles toits straight edge, which flange is adapted to slide in the grooves c a,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH SHAVER.

Witnesses:

G. T. BENEDICT, M. J. SOHINNER.

